Hadiya's Story For Now
by Took-Baggins
Summary: prequel to A Song Without Words The story of Timon and Hadiya's early friendship and the crime of her mother Kesi. rating may change for violence in later chapters. Currently on hiatus.
1. Timon Takes the Blame

A/N well, here I am! Back again to entertain you all. I hope that most of you are returning readers, though I suppose this one will still make sense even if you haven't read "A Song Without Words". Anyway, welcome to my fic, I am very glad to see you. I hope you enjoy it very much (and that you let me know by way of a review).

If anyone has a suggestion for a title, please let me know, because I've got nothing at the moment.

I don't own _The Lion King_, Timon, Ma (Osono), or Max. Everyone else, though, is completely mine.

x x x

Digging could be a very messy job, particularly with beginners. It definitely wasn't an easy thing to learn without making a mistake or two. However, try as she might, Kesi was having trouble keeping this thought from being replaced by "oh no, he did it again." She had volunteered to take a small group out for a digging lesson. Seeing as the crews were soon to begin construction on a new side tunnel it was the best time for the young meerkats to practice before the real work began. She was wishing fervently now that she had been gifted with patience.

"_Maybe x-ray vision wouldn't hurt either._" she thought, pulling the pup responsible free by his ankles. She sighed and set him on his feet. "Okay, what's the first thing we went over today?"

"Proper support of the tunnel roof." he mumbled, his voice very low. Kesi frowned, scolding him as she turned to the other two that were there for the lesson, looking for injuries.

"Right. Really now, a pup your ages, can't even keep from bringing the tunnels down around us! I hate to tell your mother..."

"No!" Timon cried, his paws grabbing her arm pleadingly (I hope you realized it was him by now). "You can't tell her, she'll be so disappointed!" Kesi couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He'd been trying very hard, but this sort of thing happened a lot around Timon and it often made being around him uncomfortable for the rest of the colony. She grinned and patted him on the head.

"Tell you what, since it wasn't a big mess this time around, we won't let the rest of the colony know." he smiled in relief and beamed at her. "But we're still going to tell your mother." his face fell and he slumped down to sit on the ground, looking very betrayed. Kesi turned to the other two: a male named Malachi and her own daughter, Hadiya. "You run along home now, Malachi. Hadiya you should stick with us.

The two of them followed her out of the work area, both very interested in examining the floor. Eventually Hadiya tapped Timon's shoulder, walking close to whisper to him.

"Why didn't you tell her it was my fault too?"

"You haven't been doing it as long as I have, you don't need tp get in trouble." he said with a shrug. Hadiya smiled, but his eyes had dropped to the floor again.

"What's your name?"

"Timon."

"I'm Hadiya."

"Yeah, I gathered that much." she giggled, but Timon was looking rather sour. Kesi turned into a small side tunnel, motioning for her to stay put. The side tunnel was something like a hallway that connected Timon's mother's nest to the main tunnel (which was also connected to all the other nests)

"Okay, we're going to downplay the collapse, say it was just some loose sand or something...yeah, nobody could've avoided it. Wasn't even a proper tunnel anyway..." she pulled him along by the arm until they came upon the nest. Timon groaned when he saw his mother at home.

Even in those days Osono was as plump, cheery, ans motherly as ever. She had recently begun coddling Timon with a ferocity that would've scared away a jackal. Knowing that she was never hard on her son, Kesi nudged him forward and cleared her throat to catch his mother's attention. She glanced up at them, somehow seeming hardly surprised.

"Oh dear, what now?"

"I'm afraid the tunnel came down on us. Nothing major, of course..." Timon looked very ashamed as he scurried close to Osono and she began to stroke his hair. Kesi continued, "it was only the beginning of a minor tunnel, hardly worth bothering about really. Just thought you should know."

"Thank you. I hope no one was hurt?"

"Not a scratch on any of them." she smiled, backing through the side tunnel as she waved goodbye. "In fact, I think he's actually improving. We were digging for almost thirty minutes when it happened!" she saw Timon perk up at the comment and he bean talking to his mother, recounting the event from his point of view. Smiling to herself, she rejoined her daughter outside.

"How'd it go?" Hadiya asked. They began walking toward their own nest.

"Very well. Osono's very understanding when these things happen. The smile had faded from Kesi, now that she was nearly alone. "Ever since his father died Timon's had so much trouble with this sort of thing..."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." they were silent for several minutes. After some thought, Hadiya spoke up.

"I didn't know his dad died."

"No, I suppose not. No one really talked about it to the pups."

"Well, they should." Hadiya said, just a little resentment in her tone. The adults of the colony had a habit of keeping unpleasant news from the children.

"Look, it's just one of those things that happen." Kesi said shortly. Hadiya knew that "one of those things" usually meant that it was either tragic or unpleasant and no one really wanted to talk about it.

"His dad got eaten, didn't he?" she asked. Kesi looked a little startled.

"To put it bluntly, yes." Hadiya stopped walking and turned her head back the way they had come.

"Thst's terrible...I'll bet he's so lonely..."

"I daresay he is."

"He helped me today, I should really do something for him." Hadiya said to herself. She looked at her mother. "I'm going to keep him company."

"Alright, just stay in the tunnels!" Kesi watched her trot away, waving over her shoulder. Once she was out of sight she ducked into her own side tunnel, moving noiselessly to the nest. She took a good look around to make sure that it was empty. She would be alone for several hours now. Sleeping was the best that she could do to pass the time.


	2. Hadiya's Place

A/N Sorry everyone, I was trying to get a Gorillaz fic going and I wanted to update them together (it's not the one i put up today, but you guys should tell me what you think of it anyway. it's called 'Mistletoe'! look it upon my profile!)

Anyway, I figure for my birthday I'd give you guys the gift of a new chapter rather than make you wait. We're starting to see Hadiya's temper, and the source of it all. Enjoy it everyone!

Oh! I still haven't thought of a title. Suggestions?

x x x

"This isn't what it looks like! I was...uh..." Timon tried to push his mother's hands away when he saw Hadiya enter the nest. His hair was twisted into one oversized curl that fell onto his face. Hadiya merely blinked at him and addressed Osono.

"Ma'am, would it be okay if Timon came to play?"Osono smoothed her son's hair back into place, nodding. Without bothering to see whether he wanted to come along, Hadiya pulled Timon through the entrance tunnel by the arm.

"I'm not 'playing'."

"Good, me neither."

"Then wha-?" she shushed him and led him past several twists and turns, eventually coming to an old stretch of tunnel. It looked like it had been unoccupied for some time. She lead him along, seeming to know her way quite well.

"You're like me, aren't you? You need to get away from everyone once in a while." they turned to the side and entered a small chamber. Timon hadn't seen the opening, but Hadiya hadn't even looked for it. He got the impression that she came here often.

"Sometimes."

She sat against the wall, leaning back and looking at him. "I come down here a lot, when my dad's in a bad mood. Sort of my place. You'd better not tell anyone I come down here." she warned, giving him a very stern sort of look. "If you don't tell I'll share it with you."

"I won't then." he settled next to her, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "So, what did you want?"

"Nothing really."

"You mean you dragged me down her for nothing?" Hadiya looked a little offended as she looked at him.

"No, I wanted to thank you again. And, I wanted to say...you know...I'm sorry."

"Oh." he knew what she meant. He had been hearing it from nearly everybody. He dropped his gaze to the ground beneath them and Hadiya smiled kindly at him.

"At least you had him for a little while, right?" he didn't answer. "Timon?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he glared at her, tears starting at the corners of his eyes. Slightly taken aback, she shrugged.

"I just meant...you should be glad of the time that you had with him."

"Oh yeah, that's easy for you to say. Your's still comes home every night." it wasn't something he had meant to say, but he had certainly been thinking it. He didn't want her sympathy, and the way she was talking made him think. It made him realize that he hadn't really appreciated his father when he had had him. Now that he was gone, Timon knew just how important he was.

"I wish he didn't."

"What?" a growl escaped Hadiya's throat. It wasn't directed at him, though.

"I wish he didn't come home. Ever. I...I wish I could..." she pulled her knees to her chest and set her forehead against them, covering her head with her arms. "Can't say it...can't..."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I get a little angry..."

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot."

"I can see that." Timon patted her shoulder awkwardly, not entirely sure how to go about comforting girls. "Is he bad?" he asked, having nothing else to say.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it. Mama says it's our business so it's inappropriate to tell."

"I won't tell anyone." she glanced toward the opening to their little room and leaned toward him, her voice low.

"Let's just say he gets angry and leave it at that." Timon nodded, even though he didn't quite know what she meant. With a small grin Hadiya stood up, offering a hand to pull him up. "One of these days when I'm bigger he won't be like that anymore. I won't let him. I'll get mama away from him and she'll be much happier."

"Hadiya..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Should we go, you think? We've been here a while." She nodded. As she lead him back out, she turned to smile at him, much happier than she had been since they'd started talking.

"I'm glad you came down here with me. If you want to come again let me know, it'll take a few trips before you can find it without really looking."

"Right."

x x x

Hadiya didn't always like coming home for one reason. That reason was Kesi's swollen eye. She was very sure that there were bruises forming under her mother's fur, even though she couldn't see them at all. Kesi pretended that they weren't there as she met Hadiya outside their nest.

"Your father's home."

"Yes, I can see that."

"Are you going to help me get dinner? I thought maybe we could go to the surface and try to find a nest."

"Can't we just dig for something down here?" Hadiya twitched as she asked, following her mother. (if you were a meerkat you'd be twitching too!)

"No, your father wants eggs. It's been some time since we've had any."

"All right then." Hadiya watched Kesi walking ahead of her. Frowning, she saw Kesi wince as she moved.

x x x

A/N sorry if it cuts off too quickly there. I've decided that, since this is kind of like Hadiya's point of view, I didn't want to write what was going on between Kesi and her husband (who is, at the moment, nameless). I think I made it fairly obvious what is going on with this family. If somebody didn't pick up on it, well, then I guess I'll tell you when I reply to your reviews.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!


	3. Habali

A/N Happy New Year everyone! Alright, not a very happy chapter, but we're meeting Hadiya's father for the first time (thanks to KariGilmore for the name).

Oh boy, I hope he isn't cliche, or anything like that. I mean, he is Pazu's kid, so it's not like he's going to be all nice and loving. You guy's will have to let me know how he comes across.

Reading back over this, I've realized that I forgot to plan this story out. I'm sorry if it seems like the chapters aren't very connected, cause I tend to jump around. It'll be better though, I promise.

Hope everyone enjoys!

x x x

Hadiya's father was working the support crew. They were the ones that made sure every tunnel was secure and there was no danger of a cave in. Currently Hadiya and Timon were several feet behind them, checking for loose beams as they had been told. They kicked lightly at the foot of each one, watching closely for any wobbling. It was boring work.

"Don't see why they assigned me to this. It's stupid really. Stupid work for a stupid kit..."

"You're not stupid, you just don't work well with dirt." Hadiya sighed.

"Don't work well with dirt? I just don't work! I guarantee you that my side will crumble before much longer." he scowled as he gave a particularly angry kick at one of the beams. It fell aside and he was showered with dirt. "See?" he looked so upset and dirty that Hadiya couldn't help but feel bad as she giggled at him. He shook it off huffily. "Not funny!"

"I know, sorry. It's just...oh, heh heh...you're just..."

"You could lend a hand you know." Hadiya had stopped laughing. She stood staring at him, her eyes wide. No sound came from her mouth but it was opening and closing anyway. Timon raised an eyebrow worriedly.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"B-blood..."

"What?" Timon cringed. The mere thought of blood and insides made him sick. He didn't want to know why she was looking at him.

"You're _head!_ It's...it's covered!" she rushed over to him and he winced as he felt her fingers on his scalp. "There must've been a stone or something in all that dirt!" she held her hand in front of his face so he could see her fingers slick with the red stuff. Rather than panic he did the only thing he could do.

He screamed.

Then he passed out.

x x x

Hadiya was a sensible kit, and luckily one that could keep her head in situations like this. She approached the support crew, breathlessly seeking out Max. Eventually she found the older meerkat berating a few workers.

"I've told you a million times, big end on the bottom, that way they don't tip while you're securing them..."

"Mr Max! Mr Max! Timon needs help!"

"He'll have to wait, I'm busy now." he shooed her away, but she persisted, pulling his arm urgently.

"It's important! Some dirt fell on him and there was a rock! His head-"

"Good lord, did he cause a cave in?"

"No no no..." Hadiya said, a little peeved that this was the first thing he assumed. "It was only one support, but his head is bleeding and I don't know about stuff like that!" Max allowed her to lead him back along the tunnel, yelling at the crew to get back to work as they went. Hadiya's father, Habali, broke away from the crew to follow them.

By the time they got back to him, Timon still hadn't come to. He was lying where Hadiya had propped him against the wall. Max was grumbling about someone doing a shoddy job as he bent over his nephew.

"You say you were just checking them like you were told?"

"Yes sir."

"And this one just came out?"

"That's right." Timon was groaning as Max picked him up. He opened an eye and pouted.

"Aw man, you had to go get Uncle Max?" he whined. Hadiya shrugged.

"What else was I supposed to do? He was close by."

"Snitch.

"Wuss."

"That's enough." they turned, startled. None of them had noticed that Habali had followed them. He stepped close and took Hadiya's arm. "I want to talk to my daughter, Max."

"Don't let him!" Timon hissed, but his uncle shushed him, his gaze shifting from to the kit next to him. Hadiya didn't look back, she was too busy studying the floor.

"It was an accident."

"Yes, I heard."

"She didn't do anything."

"I'll be the judge of that." Max was glaring at him now, but a small sniffle reminded him suddenly that his nephew was in need of some attention. Glancing back at Hadiya, he made his way down the tunnel and out of sight. Once he was gone Hadiya's father turned to face her.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me." his voice was dangerously low. She flinched and tried to pull away from him.

"I'm not, dad! I was by the other wall. He did it to himself!"

"Did it to himself? I wouldn't believe that for a minute. You're a liar just like your mother."

"She's is not! You'd have to be stupid to think so!" she felt his grip on her arm loosen and she desperately tore herself away from him, dashing frantically away. Being young and short, she wasn't quite as fast as she had hoped. She gasped as something flew into the back of her head, sending her face first into the dirt. Dazed and feeling tears coming she curled in on herself, looking up to see Habali had picked up the support beam Timon had knocked over. He glared down at her as she cowered before him, his expression one of utter contempt as he raised it over her.

"You don't run away from me."


	4. The Next Day

A/N the reason for the delay this time? I was unsure about this one. I kept wrestling with myself about it, and I still think it's crap, but I figure I've made you all wait long enough. Sorry.

I think I may wrap this up in a few chapters, I don't feel quite as happy about writing it as I should. Seeing as I'm starting a Narnia fic and rewriting my very first story (Lord of the Rings) I don't want too many projects happening at once.

Forgive the uneventfulness of it, please. And drop me a line after you read! Hardly anybody did that on chapter three! (I appreciate the ones who did, by the way).

x x x

It was already well into the next day when they saw each other again. Timon's head had been wrapped in some sort of bandage, making him look like he was wearing a turban. Hadiya kept a close watch on him, wishing she could have some sort of padding as well. She could feel large, painful areas that she assumed were bruises (it was sometimes hard to tell through her fur).

Every so often Timon would catch one of her glances and raise an eyebrow questioningly, but she would shake her head and give a look that plainly said "don't." They had said very little and were basically just glad to have one another's company and be away from everyone else. It was obvious that Hadiya was worried about him, but Timon was very sure that he was the one that should be worried. She had flinched when he'd touched her as she arrived and he had caught the slight movement. He'd put it together easily and knew that it was the result of leaving her alone with her father. He understood now exactly why she was so angry with him.

But what worried him most was her silence. It wasn't like her. Tentatively he smiled at her, hoping to be reassuring in some way.

"So...you okay?" he asked, figuring that the best way was to just come out with it. She shrugged.

"I guess so."

"You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong?"

"No." she avoided his eyes, looking to the floor instead. Timon got up and laid an arm gingerly across her shoulders.

"Seriously, nobody looks _that_ pathetic when they've been just peachy." he grinned and she returned a small smile. It disappeared when she sighed. "Look, I tried to get Uncle max to go back..."

"You shouldn't have." he furrowed his brow at her, confused. She shrugged his arm off and moved away from him. "I deserved it..."

"No you didn't!" Hadiya was a little startled at the tone of his voice. He sounded so upset. "Hadiya, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes I did. I should've been watching more carefully, that's what we're supposed to do..."

"No, that stuff happens to me all the time, it wasn't your fault!" she stared at him in surprise. It seemed unlikely that this should upset him so much when it was her problem, but there was no mistaking that look on his face. He was genuinely worried. "How long has this been going on?"

"Pretty much..." she thought about it for a moment. "As long as I can remember. Usually he doesn't do it to me, though."

"Usually?"

"It's only happened once or twice."

"It shouldn't happen at all. It's wrong, Hadiya! Haven't you told anyone?"

"No." She said quietly. Timon chewed his lip, his arm settling over her shoulders again. She didn't shrug it off this time, but leaned her head on his shoulder. "I hate to say it, but I'm afraid..."

"I'd be worried if you weren't. Well, I'm _already_ worried..."

"Don't be. I'm all right." Timon sighed, noticing that she was sniffling.

"We should really-"

"No!" Hadiya pulled away from him, turning to look him in the face. "We can't! You know what he would do to me? Or worse, he'd think it was mom! What happens to me is nothing compared to what happens to her! Please, please don't tell anyone Timon! Don't say anything!"

"A-alright." she hugged him gratefully. Timon loosed another sigh as she squeezed him.

He really didn't like where all this was going.

x x x

A few hours later, after Hadiya had left to see her mother, Timon sought his Uncle out. Max was enjoying one of his rare moments when he wasn't dealing with the crews or sentries. He groaned when his nephew approached and waved him over.

"Uncle Max, can you do me a favor?"

"If it's got to do with tunnels then forget it."

"It doesn't." said Timon flatly (he always got a little peeved at the subject of tunneling). Sitting next to his uncle, he fell into a brief silence, mulling things over.

"Well?" the older 'kat prompted. Timon looked away from him, a little unsure how much to say. He didn't really know who else he could go to about this. His first choice would've been his father...

"Look, don't say anything to anyone, okay? I...I'm worried about Hadiya." Max nodded.

"I know."

"You do?" Timon asked, looking up in surprise. Max nodded.

"I've been keeping an eye on them."

"Then why-"

"How Habali runs his family is, unfortunately, his business." Max sighed. He didn't like what he thought was going on (and what he thought was very close to the truth). He had long been looking for a reason to intervene. At the moment though, he was a little more worried about his nephew becoming involved. He couldn't help but look down at him fondly. "Look, I know she's your friend. Just...stay away from her if Habali's around, alright?"

"Yeah...sure..." Timon nodded, feeling a little awkward. Max didn't often give him that sort of look, but when he did it was hard to miss.


End file.
